- Segundo Matias, Jr.’s ‘Mga Batang Poz’ is a young adult novel about HIV/AIDS.
- He wrote this to help combat the spread of the virus.
- He explained the use of a young man covering his face in the book cover.
The grind never stops for Segundo Matias, Jr. He recently launched his young adult novel about HIV/AIDS on September 28, Friday titled Mga Batang POZ. Earlier this month, he had also released the fifth installment to his Moymoy Lulumboy series.
Book Launch.
Members of the Words Anonymous and Collaboratory.PH performed pieces during the launch of Mga Batang POZ, a young adult novel by Segundo Matias, Jr. He noted that the book aims to reach young adults, written for those who could help combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. He also shared a short message saying:
“Spread the word, not the virus.”
Mga Batang POZ.
The book follows four young men as they engage in dating application hook-ups and face challenges of being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The “POZ” in the title is a play on “positive,” a reference to an HIV diagnosis. Segundo admitted that he initially wanted to use a pen name for the book. He decided not to use a pen name anymore to show that there should be no stigma about the disease.
Segundo has won literary awards for his children’s books. He decided to write a young adult novel when he found out that a 12-year-old boy was afflicted with the disease. The cover of Mga Batang POZ has a young man with face mask. Segundo shared that he saw many people with the virus in treatment hubs, covering their faces. He noted that this was because they didn’t want to be identified.
